Birth Control decisions
Those of you who don't want to know about your friends squishy bits & reproductive habits, please skip this entry. ^_^
Right, then. I'm 34 years old, monogomous, childless & reallyreallyREALLY want to stay that way. Figuring out the best way to make that happen, though, is turning into a giant PITA.
~Condoms suck.
~I'd rather not do anything hormonal (pills, implants, shots).
~Vasectomy sounds like an absolutely wonderful idea to me, but Squeezypet is, in the words of my gynecologist, "a big, fat chicken".
~Tubal ligation: I've considered it, but would like to avoid general anesthesia & surgery if possible.
~Essure: was really hip to try this one, but now I'm not so sure (no pun intended ;P ). Less invasive than a tubal, but still could involve general anesthesia and a hospital stay. Also not keen on the chance (be it ever-so-miniscule) of my fallopian tubes shooting a spring into my abdominal cavity. My gyno doesn't do the procedure, & really didn't seem thrilled by the idea of it... also not sure if my insurance covers it, & I can't afford several thousand dollars for the uninsured procedure.
~IUD's: my gyno is very keen on Mirena, & had me just about talked into it until I started researching. I realize that the side-effects are very, very rare, but I'm still less than jazzed at the prospect of totally random bleeding & cramps, acne, weight gain, exhaustion, murderous rage/depression, etc. I thought Paragard (the non-hormonal, plain old copper IUD) might be a better idea, but it sounds like that almost guarantees that your period will be longer, heavier, & more painful. My periods aren't all *that* bad right now, but I don't fancy the idea of making them any worse.
I was supposed to call my gyno the 1st day of my period to set up an appointment to have the Mirena inserted. My period started today, & I just can't decide if I really want to do it. The more I read, the more confused I get.
Why didn't they just spay me at an early age, like a cat? :P
I would love to hear what you guys think. Any experiences w/ any of the above methods of birth control, or something I haven't thought of? How about advice on talking an extremely squeamish guy into having a vasectomy? ;}
Right, then. I'm 34 years old, monogomous, childless & reallyreallyREALLY want to stay that way. Figuring out the best way to make that happen, though, is turning into a giant PITA.
~Condoms suck.
~I'd rather not do anything hormonal (pills, implants, shots).
~Vasectomy sounds like an absolutely wonderful idea to me, but Squeezypet is, in the words of my gynecologist, "a big, fat chicken".
~Tubal ligation: I've considered it, but would like to avoid general anesthesia & surgery if possible.
~Essure: was really hip to try this one, but now I'm not so sure (no pun intended ;P ). Less invasive than a tubal, but still could involve general anesthesia and a hospital stay. Also not keen on the chance (be it ever-so-miniscule) of my fallopian tubes shooting a spring into my abdominal cavity. My gyno doesn't do the procedure, & really didn't seem thrilled by the idea of it... also not sure if my insurance covers it, & I can't afford several thousand dollars for the uninsured procedure.
~IUD's: my gyno is very keen on Mirena, & had me just about talked into it until I started researching. I realize that the side-effects are very, very rare, but I'm still less than jazzed at the prospect of totally random bleeding & cramps, acne, weight gain, exhaustion, murderous rage/depression, etc. I thought Paragard (the non-hormonal, plain old copper IUD) might be a better idea, but it sounds like that almost guarantees that your period will be longer, heavier, & more painful. My periods aren't all *that* bad right now, but I don't fancy the idea of making them any worse.
I was supposed to call my gyno the 1st day of my period to set up an appointment to have the Mirena inserted. My period started today, & I just can't decide if I really want to do it. The more I read, the more confused I get.
Why didn't they just spay me at an early age, like a cat? :P
I would love to hear what you guys think. Any experiences w/ any of the above methods of birth control, or something I haven't thought of? How about advice on talking an extremely squeamish guy into having a vasectomy? ;}